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Getting off my butt to save a child’s life

An intrepid housing leader is taking on a once in a lifetime challenge - to help children with cancer in developing countries.

Colne' Housing's Chief Executive Sara Thakkar is part of a 15-strong group who will be trekking the Atlas Mountains in Morocco including summitting North Africa’s tallest peak, Jebel Trobkal,.

The team has been inspired to take on the four day trek after joining forces in aid of World Child Cancer, a charity that supports children with cancer in developing countries around the world.

Sara, who joined the Essex-based housing association in 2015, said:

"Getting off my butt to save a child’s live, to support a family in dire need and to help make a difference for those that experience hardship through a dreadful illness needs no explanation. It’s brilliant to be part of a great charity and to be doing this challenge with such a great bunch of people.”

Also taking on the trek is World Child Cancer’s Chief Executive, Jon Rosser, who said:

“When visiting our programmes, it’s impossible not to be acutely aware that the help we are able to offer is way below the need that exists. My greatest priority as Chief Executive is to increase the amount of money we raise to ensure we save more lives. This trek is a fantastic opportunity to do this and stop more of the 300,000 children who develop cancer each year from dying unnecessarily.”

The team aims to raise £80,000 which could fund one of the charity’s nine programmes for an entire year. With proven success of increasing childhood cancer survival rates from as low as 20% to over 60%, these trekkers will be taking on the experience of a lifetime whilst also giving children with cancer the gift of growing up.